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Landlords invited to smoke-free housing discussion

SANBORN – The Niagara County Health Department and Roswell Park Cancer Institute are teaming up to offer landlords a free breakfast and a pitch about making rental housing smoke-free.

The event will be held from 8 to 10:30 a.m. March 11 in Room 211 on the second floor of Building G at Niagara County Community College.

A panel of experts will teach landlords how to legally bar smoking from their premises, which, they say, would save landlords money and maintenance costs connected with tobacco use, which reducing the risk of fires.

The list of speakers includes Jonathan F. Schultz, county fire coordinator and director of emergency services; fair housing attorney Daniel Corbett; Joan Spillman, director of the Buffalo field office for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Scott Russo, operations manager for Q&D Management; and Melissa Lask, manager of Forestview Senior Village, operated by Calamar, a Wheatfield development firm.

County Public Health Director Daniel J. Stapleton said, “When the health and safety of their constituents are at stake, public officials as well as the public health director share a concern about how we can work together to afford the best protection for the people at risk in our communities. Every time a child or other loved one dies needlessly from fire caused by smoking, everyone in the community shares the grief and regret over what could have been prevented.

“Most importantly, we are helping landlords protect their tenants, as well as the properties their renters call home.”

Theresa McCabe of the county Healthy Neighborhoods Program said, “Smoking causes a number of health and safety problems to smokers and non-smokers who inhabit the same dwellings. Breathing in smoke causes lung problems, heart conditions and cancer. Careless smoking in the home is also the No. 1 cause of death by fire.”

Those interested in attending are asked to sign up by contacting McCabe at 438-7479, or Jenna Brinkworth at Jenna.Brinkworth@roswellpark.org or at 875-1615.